Sat 26 February, 2022
cinch Championship 
Stark's Park
cinch Championship
Sat 26 February, 2022. Kick Off: - 15:00
Stark's Park
Fixture Information:
Ticket Information:
Tickets are now on sale for this cinch Championship fixture.
Tickets, which are for the McDermid Stand at the North end of the stadium, are priced as below:
Adults – £20
Over 65 – £13
Under 21 – £12
Under 16 – £8
Under 12 – £5
Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
No tickets will be available for purchase from Firhill, with all ticket sales handled by Raith Rovers through online sale.
Live Stream
Raith Rovers will be live streaming Saturday’s fixture.
The livestream is priced at £14 and PPV passes can be purchased online the day before the match.
To purchase the livestream, you must first register with RaithTV.
If you used the service earlier in the season, please use the same log in details to access your account.
Supporters’ Buses:
City Centre Branch:
Pick ups:
Q Club – 11:45
Station Bar – 12:00
For seats call Duncan 07979496154 or e-mail
John Lambie Jordanhill Branch:
Pick ups:
Jordanhill Station – 12:40
Thornwood Bar – 12:45
Prices:
Adults – £16
Concessions – £10
Booking is essential and priority will be given to former members and regulars. Seating will be limited and face-coverings must worn: this follows instructions from the coach company.
To make a booking phone or e-mail Alistair on 07817612563 or Alternatively phone or e-mail Iain on 07779668357 or
North-West Branch:
Pick ups:
Milngavie Railway Station – 12:30
Esquire House, Anniesland – 12:50
Maryhill Community Central Halls – 13:05
Fares:
Full fare – £13
Concessions – £8
Please remember that the wearing of a face covering is mandatory at all times when on the North-West bus and will remain so until government guidelines are changed.
Partick Thistle find themselves in the unfamiliar scenario of trying to bounce back from a league defeat this weekend as they head to Kirkcaldy to take on Raith Rovers. The Jags suffered just their second Championship loss since September on Tuesday against Morton and now look to respond against the fourth-placed Rovers. It was John McGlynn’s side who were victorious the last time Thistle visited Stark’s Park when the Maryhill men left it too late to try to overturn a 3-0 deficit, losing 3-2 when all was said and done. Jags assistant manager Alan Archibald spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of the trip to Fife:
“We’re all keen to move on from Tuesday’s result as quickly as possible and to have a game four days later is ideal. We put a lot of effort into the game in midweek and felt we actually played relatively well for the majority of the game but it didn’t go our way and that’s hard to take.
“Now we just have to look to move on. We can’t get too bogged down by one defeat because there are games coming quickly at the moment and if we let our heads go down then it’ll be difficult to get them back up.”
Reflecting further on the 1-0 defeat to Morton, Archie says the key moments cost the Jags as they missed an opportunity to jump into third.
“It’s difficult to pick the bones of a game like that because there weren’t many things the boys did wrong. Obviously, we’d have liked to have been a bit more clinical in front of goal but sometimes it just doesn’t happen for you.
“At the other end, we defended well for most of the game. They’ve had two shots on target all game and come away with a 1-0 win so that’s frustrating especially when I think the goal was a preventable one too. It was just a simple high free-kick into the box which we didn’t deal with and then they get a bit of luck with the block.
“I think we’ve moved on as a group though. We spoke about with the players and I don’t think they’re letting it get them too down. Everyone is now focused on going to Stark’s Park for another opportunity to move up the table.”
The Maryhill men now head to Kirkcaldy to take on a Raith Rovers side who are struggling for form at the moment though Archibald says the team aren’t underestimating the Fifers.
“We’ve come up against them twice already this season and we’ve seen the kind of football they try to play. John’s teams tend to keep the ball down and I don’t think we’ll see anything different this weekend in that regard. On the other hand, they have made some changes in terms of personnel so that’s something we have to look out for.
“They’ve not been winning games recently in the way they were earlier in the season so they’ll be desperate to get back to winning ways. They’ve still got plenty of dangerous players so we’ll have to be prepared for a difficult game.”
Alan ended by giving us the latest team news ahead of the game at Stark’s Park.
“Everyone came through Tuesday’s game. Scott Tiffoney missed that match with a slight knock and then Kevin Holt picked up a wee niggle during the game on Tuesday but we’ll give them both every chance to be involved tomorrow.”
Exclusive video interviews with Ciaran McKenna and Thistle assistant manager Alan Archibald will be available for JagZone subscribers to watch today – log in to view.
JagZone subscribers will be able to tune in to live audio commentary for our clash with Raith Rovers, starting at 2:30pm – click here to tune in.
Raith Rovers will be providing a pay-per-view option, priced at £14, for any supporter who wishes to watch a livestream of the match – click here for more info.
We’ll have extended highlights and a full game replay of the fixture on JagZone following the game.
Article Copyright © 2022. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
Partick Thistle had the chance to move into the Premiership play-off places for the third consecutive league match this weekend as they travelled to Kirkcaldy to take on Raith Rovers.
The two sides had each managed a win in the previous two meetings this season with the home side triumphing by the odd goal on each occasion. Thistle came into the game off the back of a midweek defeat to Greenock Morton while Raith were looking to end a nine-game winless run in cinch Championship action.
Ian McCall made three changes to the side lost during the week with Stephen Hendrie the first of those as he replaced the injured Kevin Holt at left-back. There was also a change at right-back as Richard Foster made his return in place of Ciaran McKenna. The final alteration saw a full Thistle debut for Kyle McAllister as team top scorer Brian Graham moved to the bench.
In blustery conditions, it was the hosts who had the better of the early goings. A tame free-kick from Dario Zanatta and a half-volley over the bar from Kyle Benedictus were warning signs for the Jags before they were properly opened up for the first time on 14 minutes. The attack came down the right as the ever-dangerous Reghan Tumilty burst forward before slotting a pass through to Ethon Varian. The on-loan Stoke striker then tried to square the ball but a vital tough from Tunji Akinola took it away from two waiting Raith players at the back post.
The home side continued to probe as the half went on and had further sights of goal before Thistle mounted any real pressure on Jamie MacDonald’s goal. A low drive from Ross Matthews made for a comfortable Sneddon save while a Sam Stanton effort from a low corner flew high over the bar.
Finally, after 36 minutes, the Jags had their first shot on goal and it was the skipper Ross Docherty who took the initiative. Picking up the ball in the Raith half, he marched forward into the space ten yards from the hosts’ box, unleashing a right-footed effort which forced Jamie MacDonald into a save before Dario Zanatta cleared the rebound.
Alex Jakubiak also had a pop at goal from outside the box towards the end of the first half, however, MacDonald was alert again and was able to get down sharply to turn the low shot away for a corner.
Ian McCall made a couple of changes at half-time as he looked to increase his team’s attacking threat. Brian Graham and Kyle Turner were introduced as Alex Jakubiak and Kyle McAllister were withdrawn.
The substitutions seemed to be working well for the visitors as they started the second period on the front foot. A quick, sweeping move saw them go from left to right in a flash before the ball eventually fell to Cammy Smith in the box. The former Aberdeen midfielder struck the ball across goal but Brian Graham wasn’t quite able to reach it for a tap-in.
Raith then came back into things and Tumilty was involved once again in the 57th minute. Connolly fed the ball into the full-back from the right wing and Tumilty let it run across his body before taking aim at Jamie Sneddon’s goal. He endeavoured to bend a shot into the bottom left corner but set his shot just too wide and saw it zip past the post.
The Thistle goal was threatened again just after the hour mark as a bit of miscommunication between Tunji Akinola and Jamie Sneddon gifted Dario Zanatta possession with Sneddon out of his goal. The goalkeeper recovered quickly, however, and by the time Zanatta had cut inside to shoot Sneddon was in a good spot to save his former teammate’s attempt.
Possibly Thistle’s best opportunity of the game came three minutes after that save as Brian Graham came close to a 14th league goal of the season. A Stephen Hendrie shot deflected straight to the number nine and he quickly swivelled and shot. Unfortunately, the ex-Raith striker couldn’t hit the target as his volley arrowed just over the bar.
The last big chance of the match came with 18 minutes to go as Dario Zanatta had another opportunity to haunt his old team for the second time this season. The number 11 was given the ball after Sam Stanton dispossessed Ross Docherty just outside the Jags’ box and he wanted to cut inside a fire into the back of the net. He was successful in the first part of that task as he moved away from one defender, however, a brave Lewis Mayo block meant the shot didn’t even get as far as Jamie Sneddon.
So the game ended scoreless with neither side able to find the crucial goal in the closing stages. With all five of the teams in top five drawing, it left things pretty much as they were at the top of the table with Thistle remaining in fifth.
Next up for the Maryhill men is a trip to Gayfield Park on Tuesday to face Arbroath. That one in a 7:30pm kick-off in Angus.
The management team’s written previews and reactions are presented by The Jags Trust. You can keep up to date with the latest from The Jags Trust by visiting their website, www.jagstrust.com.
It was a point apiece at Stark’s Park as Partick Thistle battled out a goalless draw with Raith Rovers. In an evenly matched game, both sides had chances to claim the decisive goal but neither goalkeeper was troubled much on a difficult day for football. Thistle manager Ian McCall spoke to ptfc.co.uk shortly after full time.
“I felt a draw was the right result for today’s game. It was a pretty rubbish game of football played in pretty rubbish conditions today with the way the wind was swirling about and it can’t have been great to watch – I certainly didn’t enjoy watching it. Raith were the better side in the first half, although we did really well defensively to restrict them to practically nothing.
“In the second half we came into it more and I felt we had the better chances in that second half. When you look at the results around the league, there was only one goal in four games which is pretty mad but we’ll take the point and head back to Glasgow to get ready for Tuesday night.”
The conditions ensured that neither side was able to play in their usual flow and the gaffer admits that the conditions caused both teams to change up their usual style of play.
“John changed his style of play today for Raith which caught me a little by surprise, they usually play a little bit more but I felt we adapted well to it. In the first half we tried to build but it didn’t really work. We made the subs at half time with the view to going a little bit longer and we’ve had a couple of good chances but I felt we were worthy of our point.”
It;’s another clean sheet for Thistle – their first since the start of the month with the gaffer pleased to re-start that particular habit.
“I thought Lewis Mayo had a really good game this afternoon. The standards in the defensive zones has been really high this season, I think that is something like our 17th clean sheet of the season so we’re pleased with how we played defensively. Richard Foster put in a real shift for us today after being missing for almost four weeks. Stephen Hendrie did well on the left hand side so there is plenty to be happy with, albeit we’d like to have added a goal to the game.”
The busy football spell continues with a trip to face Arbroath on Tuesday night with Ian looking for his players to recover ahead of another tough cinch Championship match.
“It’s all about recovery for the next couple of days. It was a really tough game for us today but it is the same for Arbroath, they had a really tough one at Cappielow. We’re going away to the league leaders and we’ll be looking to pick up three points but talking about it and actually doing it are two completely different things. We’ll prepare for it and look forward to it and see what Tuesday night brings.”
Further reaction from Thistle manager Ian McCall is available to watch on JagZone – log in to view.
We’ll have extended highlights and a full game replay of the fixture on JagZone later tonight.
Article Copyright © 2022. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
It's a point apiece following a goalless draw at Stark's Park.
Of the two sides it is the home side that have the stronger case for thinking they could have taken full points.
Docherty heads the corner clear.
Into injury time. It's the home side that look the more likely to snatch a late winner.
A curling Connolly shot from the edge of the box is only a foot or so over Sneddon's crossbar.
MacIver crosses from the left and MacDonald is required to save Murray's flick at his front post.
Docherty is able to nod on a Turner free kick that is just out of Graham's reach.
Crawford has to hurry to clear a Zanatta cross.
The corner is initially cleared but Zanatta picks up the ball again and drives at the Thistle defence and it takes a great block from Mayo to deny him at the very least an effort on target.
MacDonald is able to push away a well hit Hendrie shot.
Hendrie's shot hits off a defender into the path of Graham who spins round before shooting over the bar.
Sneddon does well to beat away a fierce Zanatta drive.
Graham is fouled as the corner comes over and Thistle have a free kick.
Connolly is able to touch the ball to Tumilty at the edge of the box Sneddon is able to watch his effort go wide.
Sneddon gets a strong hand to Zanatta's corner.
Smith drags a shot across the face of the Raith goal that Graham can't get a touch to at the back post.
Graham isn't too far away from connecting with a Bannigan cross but is penalised for a push on a defender in any case. It's already looking more positive from Thistle.
All square at the break but it is the home side that have had the better of a poor game. #
It took until the 36th minute for Thistle to muster their first effort on goal when MacDonald pushed away Docherty's long range effort and the home keeper made another good stop to deny Jakubiak but these were isolated incidents.
The bulk of the play has been in front of the Thistle goal though Sneddon hasn't had a save of note to make.
Best chance for Raith was a Stanton effort that he dragged wide and they also had strong appeals for a penalty following a barge on Zanatta.
Into first half injury time.
McAllister's corner is cleared before Thistle are forced back towards their own goal.
MacDonald gets a strong hand to Jakubiak's effort to turn the ball round the post for a corner.
Stanton is able to force his way into the Thistle box but drags his effort wide of Sneddon's left hand post.
There are strong appeals for a Raith penalty as Zanatta looks to get barged in the box by Foster.
Docherty's long range effort is well hit but at a comfortable height for MacDonald who is able to push the ball away from goal.
The low corner picks out Stanton who shoots over the bar.
A Connolly shot is blocked before Mathews manages to get his effort from the edge of the box on target but it doesn't present Sneddon with any problems in saving.
Thistle are unable to make anything from their first corner. Indeed they are struggling to make much impact on the game at all at present.
Tumilty powers forward before slipping a pass through for Varian whose cut back is cleared.
Thistle try to break after the corner is cleared but MacDonald comes out his box to clear. It's all been a bit scrappy so far.
Berra peals away from his marker to get on the end of Zanatta's corner but can do more than sky a shot high over the Thistle crossbar.
Zanatta takes the free kick and tries to catch Sneddon out at his left hand post but Sneddon is across quickly to save easily.
Docherty fouls Williamson and the home side have a free kick in a dangerous position.
Thistle get the game underway and will be defending the goal at the away end in the first half.
The Thistle promotion challenge and search for vital league points takes The Jags to Stark's Park and meeting with Raith Rovers the side immediately above Thistle in the league table.
Following the disappointing result against Morton in midweek, Ian McCall has made three changes to his starting eleven for this game.
Injury rules out Scott Tiffoney and Kevin Holt while Brian Graham drops to the bench for this one.
Into the starting eleven come Richard Foster, Stephen Hendrie and Kyle McAllister.